


(un)Familiar Future

by p0cketw0tch



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Captain America Jemma Simmons, Fanboy Phil Coulson, Gen, Time Travel, comes with art, is gender indiscriminate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 08:53:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9540515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/p0cketw0tch/pseuds/p0cketw0tch
Summary: Being Captain America is hard. But processing your once and future boss as a your biggest fan is harder.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve had this AU stuck in my brain for two years now in which the Obelisk deages Jemma and dumps her back in time instead of another planet. There are ripples from this, both large and small and she ends up on a different but parallel path to the role of Captain America.
> 
> She really wishes she’d been more of a history buff.
> 
> I’m hoping to write a multichapter fic. For now, here’s a little scene I got into my head because Fanboy!Coulson is hilarious.

“I sort of met you. I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping.”

Oh god.

“I mean, I was… I was present while you were unconscious from the ice.”

Jemma could feel her smile growing stiffer as her mind tried and failed to process Phil Coulson babbling in hero worship. At her. She had seen him enraged, covered in blood, and under the influence of an alien compound. But to see her former Director stumbling over his own words was the most surreal thing she’d seen in this not-quite familiar future.

He had always been a Captain America fan, so at least that was the same as the future she remembered.

And she was Captain America.

The thought felt like panic. Felt weighty in a way it hadn’t in over a year, since she first took the serum. Since the first days of planning and fighting and desperately trying to play the role the real Captain America had in pushing the Allies towards victory while uncovering HYDRA.

There had been more than a few break downs in the quiet moments of those early days, but after a while there had been too much to do to spend time panicking. Especially with Peggy and Bucky and her Howling Boys behind her.

She paced towards the cockpit to peer window, hoping for a moment to compose herself.

Coulson followed, leaning forcibly casual against the cockpit entrance.

“You know, it’s really, it’s just a… just a huge honor to have you on board.”

“I’ll do my best to help.” she replied, hoping her expression was on the right side of neutral.

“Oh, I’m sure that will be more than enough. Uh.. we’ve made some modifications to the uniform. I had a little design input.”

“The uniform?” Jemma repeated, deciding not to dwell on the last part of his statement. “Isn’t it a little… overt for SHIELD?”

Coulson sobered, sounding more like the man she remembered. “With everything that’s happening, with the things that are about to come to light? People are going to need a little overt hope.”

Jemma nodded, looking out over the speeding water. He had no idea really. Loki, New York, the rising number of Inhumans. She still wasn’t sure who to trust, if HYDRA had once again seeped into the ranks, if the same people had stayed true or traitor.

There was too much to do to spend time panicking.


End file.
